Friday, October 16, 2015

Trying a new recipe for the first time can occasionally be an exciting proposition. You hope that it will succeed, and most of the time it does. But, once in awhile, there is an epic fail. That's what happened with this bread, a Cheddar Cheese Jalapeno loaf.

Let's see. How can I count the ways it failed.

Too much dough for the pan?

(Next time, I would divide the dough in two and put them in 8" x 4" pans.)

Too long of a rising time?

(Next time, I would only let the dough rise for 35-45 minutes.)

Oven temp?

(It's a vintage oven. I set it at 400 degrees, but, was it really? Time for an oven thermometer.)

(Top too brown, bottom too pale.)

On the positive side, it really turned out to be a delicious bread -- cheesy with pops of spicy pepper. Next time? Yes, I think so. I'd like to see it actually look like a decent loaf of bread to accompany the tastiness.

Besides, it's educational to see that not all bread recipes work, meaning, don't give up, figure out how to improve it, and try again.

For the final insult, my camera decided not to work, even with freshly charged batteries. Maybe it's time has come. So, I used my smartphone.

Please excuse me if I don't quite remember all the details for this wonderfully delicious bread. Knowing that I was about to pack up my kitchen for yet another move, I made this bread (twice) in early September. I have to say, it was difficult to keep quiet about it all this time -- it is one of my most favorite breads and I so wanted to shout about the experience to the world. It was all I could do not to eat the whole loaf at once. And, no, I didn't share.

But, now that I'm back in the 'land of appreciative recipients,' I am planning to bake it again and again and share.

Karen, of Karen's Kitchen Stories, was our hostess this month. While I had heard of this bread before, I had never made it, so many thanks to Karen for her choice. It's always good to discover something new, especially when it is scrumptious.

I would highly recommend baking along with the Babes this month -- you would be disappointed to miss this wonderful bread. Send your posts to Karen by the 29th, the stay tuned for the roundup.

Tangzhong Whole Wheat Bread

Tangzhong mixture (makes enough for two loaves)

50 g/1/3 C bread flour

1 C water

Mix the flour and water in a saucepan together until there aren't any lumps.

Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and registers
149 degrees F or 65 degrees C. If you don't have a thermometer (get
one!), look for lines in the mixture made by your spoon as your stir.
Remove from the heat immediately.

Scrape the mixture into a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap,
pressing it onto the surface of the tangzhong. Let it cool. You can
refrigerate it if you want to, or use it immediately once it has
cooled.

Bring it back to room temperature when you are ready to use it.

This will last a couple of days. If it starts to turn gray, toss it.

Whole Wheat Tangzhong Bread

Makes one loaf, and is easily doubled

110 grams milk

45 grams whisked eggs (about one large egg)

100 grams Tangzhong

40 g sugar

5 g salt

200 g bread flour

150 g whole wheat flour

6 g instant yeast

40 g unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into pieces

Add all of the ingredients except the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer. You can also mix by hand or bread machine.

Mix the ingredients until they form a dough. Add the butter, one
tablespoon at a time, until incorporated. Knead until the dough becomes
very elastic. More is better.

Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until
doubled, about 40 minutes. I think you could also do a cold ferment
overnight, but I haven't tried it.

Now for the shaping: Divide the dough into 3 or four equal pieces and form each piece into a ball.

With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 10 inch long oval. Fold
the oval into thirds, widthwise, like an envelope. Turn the envelope so
that the short side is facing you, and roll it into a 10 to 12 inch
length. Roll that piece like a cinnamon roll, with the folded sides on
the inside, and place the piece in an oiled bread pan, seam side down.
Repeat with the other pieces, placing them next to each other. To see a
diagram of how to shape the pieces, check out this post.

Cover and let rise for about 40 minutes, until about 4/5 the height of the bread pan.

Bake in a 175 degree C/ 350 degree F oven for 30 to 35 minutes.
Transfer the loaf from the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely.